Tiger and Chang the elephant were celebrating two years of partnership between the hospital and club’s charity arm – the Everton Foundation.

The joint birthday and children’s Christmas party included cake and a children’s entertainer.

Tiger and Chang were joined by Foundation coaches who travel to the hospital each fortnight to get the children out of their beds and into the playroom for an afternoon of exercise, discussion, art and music.

A Foundation spokesman said: “The partnership was established in January 2008, to bring the Foundation's world renowned disability programme to the patients of Europe's largest children's hospital. Since it began it has brought fun, health and exercise to the young people based within the neuro-medical and oncology units.’’